Phonetic-sound providing system, server, client machine, information-provision managing server and phonetic-sound providing method

• US 7,440,899 B2
• Filed: 03/08/2004
• Issued: 10/21/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamada, Yuka, Kutsumi, Hiroshi, Morimoto, Kiyoshi, Otsuka, Nobuyuki, Kitao, Nobuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Opsasnick; Michael N
• Application Number:
  US10/793,863
• Publication Number:
  US 20040172248A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,688 Days
• Field of Search: 704/254, 704/270.1, 715/705, 715/706
• US Class Current: 704/270.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/16 Sound input; Sound output speech processing G10L

Abstract

A server, which transmits phonetic-sound information to a plurality of client machines and reproduces the transmitted phonetic-sound information, includes a storage unit for storing a plurality of pieces of voiced phonetic-sound information whose contents are voices of a plurality of speakers in a conversation made up of the voices of the plurality of speakers. The server also includes a timing determining unit for determining reproduction timing of the plurality of pieces of voiced phonetic-sound information, and a transmitting unit for transmitting the voiced phonetic-sound information which is applicable to each client machine, so that its reproduction is executed in the reproduction timing determined by the timing determining unit.

Claims

1. A phonetic-sound providing system comprising:

a server operable to distribute conversation information; and

a plurality of different kinds of household electric apparatuses in a house, communicably connected to said server, operable to output the conversation information distributed from said server to an only and single user who stays in the house alone;

said server comprising;

storage means for storing fictitious personality information indicating characteristics of a personality associated with the household electric appliance, respectively;

receiving means for receiving text information for producing a conversation between the plurality of household electric appliances, or searching means for searching the Internet and collecting provided information;

conversation dividing means for dividing the conversation information into a plurality of pieces of voiced phonetic-sound outputted from a plurality of speakers based on the fictitious personality information;

allotting means for allotting the plurality of pieces of voiced phonetic-sound to each household electric appliance in line with a character of each household electric appliance shown by the fictitious personality information based on the fictitious personality information;

producing means for producing a conversation file which has the contents of the allotted pieces of voiced phonetic-sound in a way to speak in line with the character of each household electric appliance shown by the fictitious personality information;

timing determining means for determining an order of an output of the conversation file produced by the producing means, for determining output timing of the conversation file of each of the household electric appliances respectively in accordance with the determined order, and for producing timing information which indicates the determined output timing as if each household electric appliance is having the conversation, by coordinating the output timing of a plurality of conversation files; and

transmitting means for transmitting the conversation information to respective household electric appliance associated with the conversation information; and

each of said household electric appliance comprising;

output means for outputting a phonetic sound as if each household electric appliance is having the conversation in a real world by coordinating the output timing of a plurality of conversation files and arranging the plurality of household electric appliances in an area such that the only-and-single user is allowed to hear the conversation among the household electric appliances, so that the user is provided with the information indirectly.

2. The phonetic-sound providing system according to claim 1, wherein:

said transmitting means transmits the conversation information and the timing information corresponding to each piece of conversation information.

3. The phonetic-sound providing system according to claim 1, wherein:

said timing determining means determines output timing of the conversation file, and transmits the conversation file to said transmitting means in accordance with the output timing.

4. The phonetic-sound providing system according to claim 1, wherein:

said searching means searches for and collects picture-image information, using a tag given to the picture-image information which indicates the contents of the picture-image information;

said producing means produces the conversation information using said tag; and

said transmitting means transmits the picture-image information.

5. The phonetic-sound providing system according to claim 1, further comprising:

an information-provision managing server operable to manage the provision of information given by an information providing server, wherein said receiving means is communicably connected to said information-provision managing server and receives the text information via said receiving means;

said server further comprising;

user-phonetic-sound receiving means for receiving, from said household electric appliances, user-phonetic-sound information which is collected while the conversation information is output and for a predetermined period after the conversation information is output, the user-phonetic-sound information including the phonetic sound of a user who uses said household electric appliances;

analyzing means for analyzing a response of the user based on the received user-phonetic-sound information; and

an information transmitting means for transmitting user response information which indicates the analyzed user response to the information-provision managing server, wherein said receiving means receives the text information which is selected based on the user response information by the information-provision managing server.

6. The phonetic-sound providing system according to claim 1, said server further comprising:

user-phonetic-sound receiving means for receiving, from said household electric appliances, user-phonetic-sound information which is collected while the conversation information is output and for a predetermined period after the conversation information is output, the user-phonetic-sound information including the phonetic sound of a user who uses said household electric appliances; and

analyzing means for analyzing a response of the user based on the received user-phonetic-sound information;

wherein said searching means lowers the frequency of searches for provided information of the same kind as the provided information upon which the conversation information is based if the analyzed user response to the conversation information based on the provided information is a negative response.

7. The phonetic-sound providing system according to claim 1, said server further comprising:

user-phonetic-sound receiving means for receiving, from said household electric appliances, user-phonetic-sound information which is collected while the conversation information is output and for a predetermined period after the conversation information is output, the user-phonetic-sound information including the phonetic sound of a user who uses said household electric appliances; and

analyzing means for analyzing a response of the user based on the received user-phonetic-sound information;

wherein said searching means increases the frequency of searches for provided information of the same kind as the provided information upon which the conversation information is based if the analyzed user response to the conversation information based on the provided information is a positive response.

8. The phonetic-sound providing system according to claim 1, further comprising:

an information-provision managing server operable to manage the provision of information given by an information providing server, wherein said receiving means is communicably connected to said information-provision managing server and receives the text information via said receiving means;

said server further comprising;

user-response information receiving means for receiving, from said plurality of household electric appliances, user response information indicating the response of a user while the conversation information is output or for a predetermined period after the conversation information is output;

judging means for judging whether the user permits the transmission of the received user response information to the information-provision managing server; and

user-response information transmitting means for transmitting only the user response information whose transmission is judged to be permitted by said judging means, to the information-provision managing server,

wherein said receiving means receives the text information which is selected based on the user response information by the information-provision managing server.

9. A server, for transmitting conversation information to a plurality of different kinds of household electric apparatuses in a house, said server comprising:

storage means for storing fictitious personality information indicating characteristics of a personality associated with the plurality of household electric appliances, respectively;

receiving means for receiving text information for producing a conversation between the plurality of household electric appliances, or searching means for searching the Internet and collecting provided information;

conversation dividing means for dividing the conversation information into a plurality of pieces of voiced phonetic-sound outputted from a plurality of speakers based on the fictitious personality information;

allotting means for allotting the plurality of pieces of voiced phonetic-sound to each household electric appliance in line with a character of each household electric appliance shown by the fictitious personality information based on the fictitious personality information;

producing means for producing a conversation file which has the contents of the allotted pieces of voiced phonetic-sound in a way to speak in line with the character of each household electric appliance shown by the fictitious personality information;

timing determining means for determining an order of an output of the conversation file produced by the producing means, for determining output timing of the conversation file of each of the household electric appliances respectively in accordance with the determined order, and for producing timing information which indicates the determined output timing as if each household electric appliance is having the conversation, by coordinating the output timing of a plurality of conversation files; and

transmitting means for transmitting the conversation information to respective household electric appliances associated with the conversation information;

wherein said conversation information is prepared for outputting a phonetic sound as if each household electric appliance is having the conversation in a real world by coordinating the output timing of a plurality of conversation files and arranging the plurality of household electric appliances in an area such that the only-and-single user is allowed to hear the conversation among the household electric appliances, so that the user is provided with the information indirectly.

10. A phonetic-sound output method, for use with a server operable to distribute conversation information and a plurality of different kinds of household electric apparatuses in a house, communicably connected to said server, operable to output the conversation information distributed from the server to a user, said method comprising:

storing, in the server, fictitious personality information indicating characteristics of a personality associated with the plurality of household electric appliances, respectively;

receiving, by the server, text information for producing a conversation between the plurality of household electric appliances, or searching, by the server, the Internet and collecting provided information by the server;

dividing, by the server, the conversation information into a plurality of pieces of voiced phonetic-sound outputted from a plurality of speakers based on the fictitious personality information;

allotting, by the server, the plurality of pieces of voiced phonetic-sound to each household electric appliance in line with a character of each household electric appliance shown by the fictitious personality information based on the fictitious personality information;

producing, by the server, a conversation file which has the contents of the allotted pieces of voiced phonetic-sound in a way to speak in line with the character of each client machine shown by the fictitious personality information;

determining, by the server, an order of an output of the conversation file produced by the producing means, determining, by the server, output timing of the conversation file of each of the household electric appliances respectively in accordance with the determined order, and producing, by the server, timing information which indicates the determined output timing as if each client machine is having the conversation, by coordinating the output timing of a plurality of conversation files; and

transmitting, by the server, the conversation information to respective household electric appliances associated with the conversation information; and

outputting, in each respective household electric appliance, a phonetic sound as if each household electric appliance is having the conversation in a real world by coordinating the output timing of a plurality of conversation files and arranging the plurality of household electric appliances in an area such that the only-and-single user is allowed to hear the conversation among the household electric appliances, so that the user is provided with the information indirectly.

11. A computer readable storage medium storing a phonetic sound output computer program, for use with a server operable to distribute conversation information and a plurality of different kinds of household electric apparatuses in a house, communicably connected to said server, operable to output the conversation information distributed from the server to a user, said program operable to cause the server and the household electric appliances to perform a method comprising:

storing, in the server, fictitious personality information indicating characteristics of a personality associated with the plurality of household electric appliances, respectively;

receiving, by the server, text information for producing a conversation between the plurality of household electric appliances, or searching, by the server, the Internet and collecting provided content information by the server;

dividing, by the server, conversation information into a plurality of pieces of voiced phonetic-sound outputted from a plurality of speakers based on the fictitious personality information;

allotting, by the server, the plurality of pieces of voiced phonetic-sound to each household electric appliances in line with a character of each client machine shown by the fictitious personality information based on the fictitious personality information;

producing, by the server, a conversation file which has the contents of the allotted pieces of voiced phonetic-sound in a way to speak in line with the character of each household electric appliances shown by the fictitious personality information;

determining, by the server, an order of an output of the conversation file produced by the producing means, determining, by the server, output timing of the conversation file of each of the household electric appliances respectively in accordance with the determined order, and producing, by the server, timing information which indicates the determined output timing as if each household electric appliances is having the conversation, by coordinating the output timing of a plurality of conversation files; and

transmitting, by the server, the conversation information to respective client machines associated with the conversation information; and

outputting, in each respective household electric appliance, a phonetic sound as if each household electric appliance is having the conversation in a real world by coordinating the output timing of a plurality of conversation files and arranging the plurality of household electric appliances in an area such that the only-and-single user is allowed to hear the conversation among the household electric appliances, so that the user is provided with the information indirectly.